Dr Haoran Zhu
Dr Haoran Zhu is a cancer biologist specialising in the molecular mechanisms of cellular senescence and tumour initiation. Dr Zhu completed his PhD in Medical Oncology and Molecular Biology at the University of Melbourne (2020), where he investigated the mechanisms by which cancer-causing proteins stop normal cell growth in a process called senescence. His work identified key metabolic pathways altered during senescence, defined how their disruption causes cells to become cancerous and demonstrated how controlling metabolism can treat these cancers.
Haoran currently works at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, where he leads projects investigating how oncogenic stress shapes cellular responses in early liver and lung tumourigenesis, employing cutting-edge technologies and in vivo mouse models. His landmark work recently revealed how gradual oncogene activation shapes the Oncogene Induced Senescence spectrum.
Chan A† & Zhu H†, Narita M, Cassidy L, Young A, Bermejo-Rodriguez C, Janowska A, Oshimori N, Zender L, Aitken S, Hoare M, Narita M (2024). Titration of RAS alters senescent state and influences tumour initiation. Nature.
Zhu H, Chan A, Narita M (2025). The Rise of RAS: How gradual oncogene activation shapes the OIS spectrum. Genes & Development.
Zhu H† & Chan KT†, Blake S, Ellis S, Cullinane C, Sanij E, Kang J & Pearson RB (2022). Cystathionine-β-synthase is essential for AKT-induced senescence and suppresses the development of gastric cancers with PI3K/AKT activation. eLife.
Zhu H, Chan A, Narita M, Young A, Janowska A, Zender L, Aitken S, Hoare M, Narita M (2024). Abstract PR-09: Oncogenic Ras Dosage Alters Senescent Immune Response and Influences Tumour Initiation. Cancer Immunol Res; 12 (10_Supplement): PR–09.
Yin K, Patten D, Gough S, Goncalves S, Chan A, Olan I, Cassidy L, Poblocka M, Zhu H, Lun A, Schuijs M, Young A, Martinez-Jimenez C, Halim T, Shetty S, Narita M & Hoare M (2022). Senescence-induced endothelial phenotypes underpin immune-mediated senescence surveillance. Genes & Development.
Zhu H† & Blake S†, Kusuma F, Pearson RB, Kang J, Chan KT (2020). Oncogene-induced Senescence: From Biology to Therapy. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development.
Zhu H, Blake S, Chan KT, Pearson RB, Kang J (2018). Cystathionine beta-Synthase in Physiology and Anatomy. Biomed Research International.
Chan KT, Blake S,Zhu H, Kang J, Trigos AS, Madhamshettiwar PB, Diesch J, Paavolainen L, Horvath P, Hannan RD, George AJ, Sanij E, Hannan KM, Simpson KJ, Pearson RB (2019). A Functional Genetic Screen Defines the AKT-induced Senescence Signalling Network. Cell Death and Differentiation.
Lee EF, Harris TJ, Tran S, Evangelista M, Arulananda S, John T, Ramnac C, Hobbs C, Zhu H, Gunasingh G, Segal D, Behren A, Cebon J, Dobrovic A, Mariadason JM, Strasser A, Rohrbeck L, Haass NK, Herold MJ, Fairlie WD (2019). BCL-XL and MCL-1 are the Key BCL-2 Family Proteins in Melanoma Cell Survival. Cell Death and Disease.
Lee EF, Dewson G, Evangelista M, Pettikiriarachchi A, Zhu H, Colman PM, Fairlie WD (2014). The Functional Differences of Pro-survival and Pro-apoptotic B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) Proteins Depend on Structural Differences in their Bcl-2 Homology 3 (BH3) Domains. The Journal of Biological Chemistry
